All indicators are pointing to rapid growth of managed services, but many key players are uncertain as to direction and nature of the investments. Leading vendors, solution and service providers will meet in London in September 2014 at the annual forum to hammer out ideas. 
All indicators are pointing to rapid growth of managed services, but many key players are uncertain as to direction and nature of the investments. Leading vendors, solution and service providers will meet in London in September 2014 at the annual forum to hammer out ideas and see what everyone else is doing.
IT Europa and Angel Business Communications have announced the fourth annual UK Managed Services & Hosting Summit on 25 September 2014. The event will bring together leading hardware and software vendors, hosting providers, telecommunications companies, mobile operators and web services providers involved in managed services and hosting with resellers, integrators and service providers migrating to, or developing their own managed services portfolio and sales of hosted solutions.
While the proportion of revenue from consultancy and services remains relatively low in the channel currently, in the Brocade channel survey 2013, supported by distributors Avnet, Westcon and Tech Data, some 75% of the channel considers them “critical” or “important” to the future of their businesses. Customers want more: demand for faster access to data and applications is one of the most important considerations.
The UK Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2014 is a management-level event designed to help channel organisations identify opportunities arising from the increasing demand for managed and hosted services and to develop and strengthen partnerships aimed at supporting sales. Building on the success of previous managed services and hosting events, the summit has been expanded in 2014 and will feature a high-level conference programme exploring the impact of new business models and the changing role of information technology within modern businesses.
The summit theme for 2014 is Beyond the Cloud – the changing face of managed services and conference sessions will include:
• The changing face of Managed Services - Trends in service delivery and changing customer demands
• Beyond the cloud - Hybrid IT - The impact of new technologies and evolving business models
• Creating Value with Managed Services - How to create value, gain competitive advantage and build greater value into your business.
These conference sessions will be augmented by boardroom sessions presented by leading vendors and service providers which will provide further insight into the opportunities for channel organisations looking to expand their managed services portfolios. Throughout the day there will be many opportunities for both sponsors and delegates to meet fellow participants within the Summit exhibition and networking area.
“Advances in technology, economic pressures and evolving business models are combining to fundamentally change role of both IT and Telecoms channels,” says Alan Norman, Managing Director of IT Europa. “More and more organisations are adopting cloud-based solutions as part of their IT landscape adopting Hybrid IT and supply models. The Managed Services & Hosting Summit 2014 provides a unique opportunity for vendors, VARs, integrators and service providers to come together to address the issues and opportunities arising from the surge in customer demand for managed services and hosted delivery models.”
The Managed Services Summit 2014 will take place at The Pullman St Pancras Hotel, London, on 25 September 2014. Resellers and integrators wishing to attend the convention and vendors, distributors or service providers interested in sponsorship opportunities can find further information at: www.mshsummit.com